Page 4 of Dragon’s Golden Mate (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #2)

The covenstead was full and lively. Maeve moved through the common rooms with a smile on her face.

She could feel the shifter energy and connection in the air, and that was exactly what she wanted when she’d started this coven.

That was way back at the beginning of the eighties, when plenty of covens existed in Salem, but none strictly for witches who were shifters.

The world had changed a lot since then, and there were times when Maeve wondered if the Artemis Eclipse Sisterhood would last. Days like this one made her doubts disappear.

Only some of the witches actually lived there at the covenstead.

Many had their own apartments or houses, and they only came by for advice or events.

Today was one such circumstance. It was a chance for the more experienced women to train the younger ones, and a perfect opportunity for everyone to get a little closer.

They’d spend the first part of the day chatting, snacking, and learning in a relaxed environment. Later, Maeve would lead them in a ritual that would enhance their bond and unite them all.

“There’s just no way I can do that.” Nia, a young witch who’d only been with the Sisterhood for a few months, sagged forward in her chair. “I just can’t concentrate.”

Kristy, Maeve’s middle daughter, smiled at her sympathetically. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all have to start somewhere.”

“I guess.” Nia frowned, her dark eyes turning toward the floor.

“What are we working on?” Maeve asked gently.

“Basic energy harnessing.” Kristy held out her hand, her palm up and her fingers slightly curled. Little crackles of blue lightning burst at her fingertips. These grew larger and fiercer, converging into a bright little ball the size of a marble in her palm.

Maeve sat down next to Kristy on the couch. “Start small,” she advised Nia. “Don’t worry about how to concentrate it into a ball. First, you just need to feel it flowing through you. Can you sense it?”

“Like a tickling right here?” Nia pointed to the center of her palm where many of the lines converged.

“Precisely. You’ll notice it more in some places than others.

Here, for instance, where you’re surrounded by people who know how to use it, it’ll probably be easier to pick up on.

It might be totally different if you go to the grocery store.

If you feel it when you’re not looking for it, that’s when you really want to pay attention. ”

“But feeling it isn’t going to do much,” Nia countered dejectedly.

“It will,” Maeve promised. She held out her own hand and felt that same tickle the young witch had mentioned. After so many years of practicing, it took almost no concentration for her to flip her hand out and hold a concentrated orb of magical energy.

Usually.

Today, she got only a couple of tiny gold sparks off her middle and pointer fingers, and then they quickly fizzled out.

“Hm.” Maeve tried again. A miniature bolt of lightning shot off her thumb, clinking against a glass of ice water on the coffee table. “Well, Nia. Maybe, at the very least, it’ll make you feel better to know that even those of us who are experienced have off days.”

Nia smiled. “It does, actually. I’m thinking maybe I need to stick to tarot. I still have a lot to learn, but it comes a little easier.”

“I’m happy to help with that!” Kristy pulled a deck out of her pocket. The cards had spoken to her since she was young, and it was rare that she didn’t have some on her. She expertly riffled the deck, straightened the cards, and then created a waterfall of them from one hand to the other.

Nia’s chin fell forward, and her mouth gaped open. “I can’t do that! I just wanted to practice some spreads!”

“Believe me, knowing the cards and the spreads are far more important than any fancy tricks,” Kristy told her.

Zoe, a friend of Nia’s who’d joined the Sisterhood at the same time, came rushing over. “Hey! You should have Kristy read your cards to see how things are going to work out with Gavin!”

Kristy lifted one brow as she continued to play with her cards. Her fingers moved automatically, manipulating the deck like a magician. “Who’s Gavin? I don’t think I’ve heard of him yet.”

Nia’s eyes melted into chocolate puddles as she interlaced her fingers under her chin.

“Zoe and I went to the club with some friends, and he was there playing with his band. They’re so good, and he looked so hot up there on the stage.

I didn’t want to be one of those girls who hangs out and tries to meet the band, but he came up to me when his set was over. ”

Maeve listened to Nia gush for a minute. There was a time when she’d felt like that, when seeing a cute guy on a little stage with a guitar was enough to make her feel all silly inside. Everything had felt exciting, with so many possibilities laid out before her.

Life wasn’t really like that now, but she’d found out just yesterday that she could still feel ridiculous when in the presence of a handsome man.

Kendrick had been on her mind consistently ever since the party.

She was glad that no one in the coven was a skilled enough mind reader to pick up on her thoughts, or she’d have plenty to be embarrassed about.

Kendrick was strong and stately. He exuded a virility she didn’t expect in older men, or at least not men who had normal lifespans. The buzzing, tickling feeling of harnessing energy wasn’t too dissimilar from the way Kendrick had made her feel when he spoke to her or even stood near her.

Then he’d stepped in and saved the day for her when she hadn’t been able to light Corbin’s candles.

A witch her age ought to be able to light all the candles in the room with little more than a snap of her fingers if she wanted to.

Kendrick had made the little boy happy and shifted the focus away from Maeve’s fumble.

As fun as it was to think about the handsome dragon, Maeve’s true concern needed to be her magic.

As she listened to Kristy and the girls gossip—the tarot reading and magic practice completely forgotten by now—she once again turned over her hand.

The feeling was there. She knew the energy was flowing.

If she closed her eyes, she could see in her mind’s eye how it moved through her body.

And yet, it refused to cooperate. Sparks. Just lots and lots of sparks.

Her wolf roiled inside of her. Maeve was truly starting to worry.

A knock at the door had her on her feet. “I’ll get that,” she said, although she wasn’t sure Kristy, Nia, or Zoe had even heard it. Maeve crossed the room, hoping for a good distraction from her troubles.

When she opened the door and found Kendrick standing there on the front porch, she remembered that she needed to be a little more careful about what she wished for.

“Uh, Kendrick,” she stammered. Maeve kept her hand on the doorknob so he wouldn’t see how much it was shaking as adrenaline bolted through her system. “What a surprise. Did you leave something behind at the party yesterday?”

His dark eyes skimmed over her face with such interest that Maeve thought he might say he’d only left her behind.

“No, and I’m sorry to come by unannounced. I see that you’re busy.” He glanced over her shoulder at the bustling household. “Perhaps I should come by another time. I was just wanting to ask your opinion on something.”

Maeve pressed her lips together. The other witches were happy and content as they talked, practiced, and raided the assortment of snacks on the long table.

None of them would mind if they waited a few extra minutes before the ceremony began.

It wasn’t like Maeve would have the concentration for it, anyway, if she were wondering what Kendrick wanted.

“I have a few minutes. Come with me.” She opened the door wider to let him into the covenstead.

Several of the other women turned to stare. Maeve could feel it before she even had the front door closed behind Kendrick. She knew her face was betraying her as she led him through the living room and kitchen, because she could feel her cheeks burning.

They emerged into the cool air on the enclosed back porch.

The windows that surrounded it were open, letting the breeze flow in through the screens.

The plants that Maeve had so carefully curated around the edge of the property were beginning to come in for the spring, and the sweet hint of the first flowers floated in the air.

“Sorry to march you through the house like that,” she said as she gestured at a pair of wicker chairs with thick cushions. Maeve was regaining her composure a little now that no one was around to stare at them. “This just seemed like a good place to talk. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”

“No, no. I’ve disturbed you enough as it is.” His wide shoulders made the chair look a little too small. “In fact, I didn’t really even think about coming by. I was just thinking about something I’m working on, and I ended up here.”

She folded one knee over the other and tugged at the wide-legged trousers she was wearing.

They were loose and comfortable, or at least they’d felt that way when she’d put them on.

Now Maeve felt they were simultaneously too baggy and too revealing.

What was wrong with her? “You mentioned you wanted my opinion on something?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat and sat forward a little, folding his hands between his knees. “I don’t know how much Beck has told you about my work, but I do some architectural consulting in my spare time.”

“Is that like being a home inspector?” Maeve gently twisted the rutilated quartz bracelet she’d slipped on this morning.

The crystal was supposed to enhance magical properties, and the little shards of golden rutile inside the clear stones always made her happy.

Now she fiddled with it to keep herself from jumping out of her seat as her wolf worked itself into a tizzy.

“In a way, yes,” he replied slowly. “I check to see what’s wrong with a building and what repairs it might need, but I go a few steps beyond that depending on the project.

That might include researching the history of a building, suggesting steps to take toward conservation or safety, or even recommending specific people to do the repairs. ”

Maeve found she truly enjoyed listening to him speak. Lucille had been right. His Scottish accent intrigued her. What kind of life must he have lived over the hundreds of years he’d been alive?

But that wasn’t the subject at hand. Was she getting old enough that she couldn’t focus on a simple conversation? Something was definitely going on with her, but Maeve wouldn’t let him know. “As interesting as all of that is, I’m not sure how I can help.”

His dark brows furrowed down over his eyes. “I was called out to a church this morning. It’s a Gothic revival, the kind that looks like something medieval. A real estate developer owns it, and she wanted my opinion on whether or not it should be torn down.”

Maeve listened and tried to concentrate.

It wasn’t easy when Kendrick was so good-looking.

She bit the inside of her lip as she thought of Patrick.

He’d been her person, her mate. He’d been gone for many years now, but she’d never imagined her loyalty toward him could waver.

If her soul was meant to be one with his, how could she be looking at Kendrick this way?

“It needs some repairs, of course, but it’s not the foundation or the roof that concern me. Something else is there, something other. It’s almost like a presence or a magical energy.”

Now, he’d truly had her attention, and it wasn’t just the bulging muscles of his arms. “Magical?”

“That’s the only way I know how to describe it. There’s something sacred about any church, but I know that feeling. I’ve been in plenty of them. This building has a secret.” He ran his hand along his jaw, just under his mouth. “It’s also being protected.”

“By what?” Her first thought was a spell of some sort that would ward off those who might harm the place.

“Gargoyles,” he answered, putting one hand in the air. “I know, that sounds crazy. I saw them with my own eyes, and I recognized the runes that were carved on at least a couple of them. They’re ancient ones that I haven’t seen in a very long time.”

His eyes grew distant, and suddenly, Maeve wasn’t thinking about how attractive he was. She felt pulled into the mystery of this building, curious about what Kendrick had seen and what it meant. “Where did you see them before?”

Kendrick let out a long breath. “It was a ruin, essentially. I’ve always been interested in architecture, and when you’re as old as I am, you have to find some ancient places if you want to see something that’s before your time.

This was at a place in Ireland that I’d been told of, but it was all crumbled and caved in.

There was nothing significant that I could find there, other than a feeling very similar to the one at this church.

Stone guardians were nearly buried in the foliage, but they had markings in Ogham. ”

“Ogham? Many of us have cast runestones in search of guidance, much like using tarot cards. It’s very normal for us, but that’s not what I would expect to see at a church.” Now Maeve was leaning forward, wanting to know more.

“You’re precisely right,” he agreed. “It’s all very odd. I need to know more about the building before I can give my official recommendation. I can look through city records and such, but they’re not going to help me get to the root of what’s going on here. I thought you might.”

Maeve sat back and allowed herself a moment to think.

Kendrick had said he hadn’t even intended to come by.

He was just thinking about this problem and had ended up on her doorstep.

Many things, she believed, were controlled by fate.

Who was she to say otherwise? Besides, this was unlike anything she’d encountered before. “I’d be happy to help.”

“Wonderful. Can you come and look at the building with me sometime soon?”

“Yes, but we should do some specific research first.” She explained her thoughts to him, and he readily agreed.

“I’ll meet you there tomorrow, then.” Kendrick rose from his seat. When he nodded at her, it was almost like a slight bow. “Thank you again for your time, and I’m sorry to impose on you like this. Can I just step out here?”

“Of course.” She opened the door that led off the porch to a small walkway, which wrapped around the side of the house to the street. Maeve’s wolf thrashed as he went down the steps and walked away from her, but she was relieved not to have to parade him through the covenstead again.

The girls were probably going to give her enough hell as it was.